Zyprexa is a prescription medication used to treat schizophrenia. It is also used to treat bipolar disorder. Zyprexa belongs to a group of drugs called atypical antipsychotics, which work by altering the activity and levels of certain natural chemicals in the brain.
This medication comes in a tablet and is taken once a day, with or without food. Zyprexa is also available in an injectable form to be given directly into the muscle.
Common side effects of Zyprexa include lack of energy, dry mouth, increased appetite, somnolence, and tremor (shakes).
WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Observational studies suggest that, similar to atypical antipsychotic drugs, treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs may increase mortality. The extent to which the findings of increased mortality in observational studies may be attributed to the antipsychotic drug as opposed to some characteristic(s) of the patients is not clear. Zyprexa is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
When using Zyprexa (olanzapine) and Prozac (fluoxetine) in combination, also refer to the Boxed Warning section of the package insert for Symbyax.
